This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below

This review first appeared in the February 2011 issue of hi-end hifi magazine High Fidelity of Poland. You can also read thisreview of the Scheu Analog Premier Mk2 in its original Polish version. We publish its English translation in a mutual syndication arrangement with publisher Wojciech Pacula. As is customary for our own reviews, the writer's signature at review's end shows an e-mail address should you have questions or wish to send feedback. All images contained in this review are the property of High Fidelity or Scheu Analog - Ed.

Thomas Scheu of Scheu Analog worked in the DIY community for years. About 20 years ago he began thinking of a turntable he could offer commercially. This birthed the Premier which today is available in Mk2 and Mk3 versions and copasetic with two different tone arms from the same stable. In Thomas' catalogue the Premier sits in the middle. Below it we have the Cello and Diamond models, above it the models Das Laufwerk N°.1 and N°.2. The Scheu Classic Mk2 tone arm dispatched with the review loaner table is the entry-level arm in Scheu Analog’s repertoire.
Both deck and arm appear to be well-made DIY projects. By this I mean that everything was nicely crafted and well finished without visibly cut corners yet one still perceives it as the clear creation of one single man just like one does with the products from our Polish firm Ancient Audio.

Technically the Scheu products are very simple. The mass-loaded deck works sans suspension and the motor is placed separately. Thomas Scheu decided on the material for his turntable by ear and personal preference to arrive at acrylic, here black (or transparent) for the plinth and opaque for the platter. Core goals for the plinth were minimal size, high mass and stability. Making it oval guaranteed the smallest possible size. Two platters are available, one at 80mm thickness weighing 7.5kg (this is what I received for review) and the other a 50mm equivalent of 4.4kg.

The Classic Mk2 tone arm comes in two lengths, 10" and the reviewed 12". Its ultra simple construction at first caused grave personal mistrust. It’s nothing but an extruded aluminium channel ending in a flat head shell plate. Suspension is unipivot with a steel blade and bolts with large nuts on either side to set azimuth. This is an undamped affair and the arm itself isn’t damped either safe for three rubber bits used to fasten the cables inside the bar channel. The appearance is very primitive but it’s the sound which matters.

Looking at the uncomplicated construction of this turntable using solutions resembling those found in the DIY community, I did not know what to sonically expect. Truth be told, after putting it together—which was far from straightforward mostly due to the arm—I was so put off that I left the turntable alone for two days revolving its platter but not playing any records.